**Arsenal**are about to begin their campaign at home against promoted Leeds United. The three points are a minimum expectation, but will the performance provide more clues about a title charge?
How will Arsenal’s home form fare?
The Gunners have certainly set about making strong starts in the last three years. In 2022, they put four past **Leicester City**with their Brazilian boys, **Gabriel Jesus**and Gabriel Martinelli, running the show. In 2023, they felled Nottingham Forest 2-1, and last year saw a 2-0 win against Wolves.
Arteta is already whipping up the feeling in the fanbase, having talked at length about a "connection" between the club and their supporters, whom he has "missed" in their preparations for the new season.
However, he will want to tighten up the record of the team at the Emirates Stadium. **Arsenal**are by no means bad when they play at home, picking up more points in front of their fans than on the road in each of the three seasons that they have finished as the runners-up in the Premier League table.
But dig a little deeper, and one finds that Arteta's men have always ranked lower in the table for home form than away form in that same period. Last year, only Liverpool(38) took more points than the 35 of **Arsenal**on the road, but the Gunners got just 39 in North London, sitting fifth in the standings.
Part of this pattern is that the strength of this side sits in the backend. **Arsenal**have had the best defensive record in the English top tier in the last two years, and so if a situation calls for them to bunker down on a rough away day, then they can rely on the stability of their defensive unit.
Opening up opponents has been a more difficult task. Leeds United were on the front foot against Everton and may carry traces of the naivety that has hurt Daniel Farke before. But in all likelihood, they will be the first of many tests for the Gunners when they must embrace the role of favourites.
Driving dynamism down the flanks
Key to their success in the final third will be the relationships of the two triangles on the wings.
**Ben White**was missing for three months of the last campaign due to his recovery from knee surgery. When he returned, the Englishman was a step off the pace, exposing how he can be a little fragile when it comes to his footwork in dealing with tricky wingers or discipline to close down crosses.
However, in preseason, he reminded people about why he has been such a fan favourite. Upon the transition to the role of a right back in the summer of 2022, he struck up a strong link with **Martin Odegaard**and Bukayo Saka. The fullback frequently bombed forward on the overlap to allow the other two attackers to connect when Saka rolled inside to the box, offering fluidity on that side.
He has been better in this supportive role than Jurrien Timber, whose timing of his runs can be a little errant. But the Dutchman does have strengths at ball handling in tight spaces and resistance to pressure that stand out in comparison to the rangier ball carrying from White on the outside.
White was absent from the open training session, and if he does not feature, it will be interesting to see if Timber can be integrated well when he prefers to moving into more central areas of the field.
Meanwhile, the left side is still problematic for the Gunners. Eberechi Eze expects to add creativity, shooting from distance, and individual flair from the left. For now, he is an idea in the waiting.
Noni Madueke might make a first start for his new side as a winger on his 'strong' side, with more unpredictability and variation than Gabriel Martinelli. Leandro Trossard is less dynamic than the 23-year-old, and Madueke might be seen in the near future as the best of both current options.
The open training session suggested there could even be a curveball with a return to the left for Saka, who was often a wingback or fullback for the first team in his first 18 months. Great familiarity with Arteta's blueprint means many outfits have learned what to expect, so it is time for the team to evolve.